Friday, January 23, 2009

Cookbook Week: The Vegan Table

The Menu: Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Soup alongside olive oil-brushed, toasted ciabatta and a healthy helping of fresh salad greens. If I do say so myself, our vegan table was lookin' and tastin' pretty snazzy, thanks to Ms. Colleen's immaculate culinary creation. Crunchy bread dipped in a smooth pumpkin-purée, seasoned with a medley of sweet and savory spices made a perfect pair. Yum.

The Goods: With half of the VN staff out at the WIPP Women's Leadership Conference, the office is feeling a wee bit empty this afternoon, which made us extra excited to fill up with this hearty meal inspired by Collen Patrick-Goudreau's soon-to-be-available cookbook. Yes, from the author of the celebrated The Joy of Vegan Baking comes a second and equally magnificent roster of recipes. With more than 200 to choose from, Ms. Colleen did an excellent job. Her version of this autumn-inspired soup made for a perfect cookbook week finale. Although MIA here in the VN kitchen, she was kind enough to whip up this batch of made-from-scratch soup and have it hand-delivered. Thanks, Colleen!